


Waiting For Happiness

by AugustStories



Series: Finn & Rory Friendship [2]
Category: Gilmore Girls
Genre: Childbirth, Finn and Rory Friendship, labor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2019-05-05
Packaged: 2020-02-26 19:44:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18723712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AugustStories/pseuds/AugustStories
Summary: Finn is there whenever Rory needs him, especially when her Mum isn't answering her phone in the one moment she needs her the most.At the end of the day all of that panic is forgotton.Prequel to The Climb.





	Waiting For Happiness

"Breathe...he he he, you know the drill, love."

The automatic doors of the hospital slid open as the nurse rolled in the wheelchair with a heavily pregnant woman panting in the trained breathing techniques, a tall man followed them, bags shouldered on both side, frantically typing away on a phone. The woman herself was on the phone as well, "I cannot believe this is the first time in her life where she is not picking up her damn phone."

"Just keep trying, she'll pick up."

"I'm gonna leave you here for a second, Miss, and get you assigned a room, yes?" The young nurse smiled at both strained faces but only got a polite smile back from the man in suit pants and white dress shirt, the woman in the blue maternity dress only scowled. The nurse rushed off, leaving them behind in a side corridor just off the entrance foyer.

Finn sent off another text and then crouched down next to Rory in the wheelchair, fingers effortlessly slipping through her free hand, squeezing carefully. "Your grandmother is on the ferry. And Robert left his house five minutes ago, he'll be at the harbor in Hyannis even before the ferry arrives. They'll catch a flight in Providence." Frantic blue eyes looked at him and Finn pushed his phone into his pockets to have a second hand free. "Rory," he whispered and used his free hand to cup her face, "We have a plan, the plan is working."

"My mom isn't picking up her phone," Rory argued quietly, grimacing when another contraction came along, Finn gritted his teeth against the pain in his fingers as Rory squeezed the life out of them. He said nothing though and just reminded her of the breathing exercices, thumb stroking over her cheekbone, "I fucking hate this."  
"I texted Luke just now," Finn took the panic out of her system immediately, "He'll get her and they'll be on their way soon. I also texted Lane and promised her to keep her updated, just like I did with Jess. The plan is working, Rory."

"It's a week early, we didn't even manage to put up the second nursery and the car seat and I need to call into work..."

"Breathe, Rory, everything is gonna be fine. You're gonna focus on your little one now and you let me worry about the rest," he told her and threw a look around, where was that damn nurse, "When you're in your room, I'm gonna call Colin. Between Robert, Steph and him, they'll manage to put up the nursery in no time, there are enough instructions around to follow it to exactly how you want it." He soothed her and Rory leaned into his hand, "Repeat after me, the plan is working."

"The plan is working."

"Okay, now is there anyone else you want me to call or text?" Finn asked just as the nurse returned, he got to his feet but didn't let go of Rory's hand as the nurse pushed Rory down the corridor and into an elevator.  
"Paris?" Rory proposed, definitely wanting someone here who was not going to get squeezy real soon because as much as Finn was a rock right now, he was not going to be a rock the second Rory's pain would spike, let alone the second blood came into play. And whether or not they might already be on the way, Lorelai would still take some time to get here.

Finn pulled out his phone again and then right away went down on one knee when Rory gave a pained cry, torturing his hand once more, his muffled whimper hopefully went under. The nurse gave him a smile when Finn got himself back onto his feet as the elevator continued to ride up, Finn's brain absentmindedly noted the floor the nurse had clicked for later.

"Alright, I'm gonna call Paris the moment you're settled in a bed."

\--

"Finn, Mom wants to talk to you."

Finn looked away from Robert's latest text and then hurried over to take the phone from Rory, sitting down in the chair next to her bed and letting her take his hand again, "Hey, Lorelai."  
"God in heaven, Finn, I cannot thank you enough," Lorelai began, half out of breath, car noises in the background, "We're already way past Hartford, just please don't leave my little girl until my mother or me are there."

"Won't happen, Lorelai, I swear," he made it clear and stroked his thumb over the back of Rory's hand, "Not leaving her alone. I called Paris but she's got the kids and the nanny has her day off."  
"Where is my mother?" Lorelai wanted to know, muffling her voice as she gave information over to Luke who was hopefully the one driving, Finn waited until he could be sure she was listening again.  
"Robert just texted me that they're are boarding the plane, so there'll be in New York in about one and a half hours, you're definitely gonna be here before them. Lane and Jess are informed and Colin and Steph are coming over to my place to set up the second nursery and fetch the car seat. The plan is working, Lorelai."

"A week early."

"Yeah, quite sure that was a lunch that restaurant is not gonna forget so quickly," Finn chuckled and stuck out his tongue when Rory glared at him, still humiliated by that moment, but she also seriously should have told him that she was feeling regular pains in her freaking abdomen before they went out to eat something.  
"They're not gonna cause trouble, are they?" Lorelai wanted to know and Finn snorted, holding his breath for a moment when Rory squeezed his fingers again, if she broke something he was going to hear it from the boys until the end of his days.

"Nah, Colin's place. They wouldn't dare and we pulled way messier stunts in there," he assured a worried mother while Rory growled at him through her contraction, red in embarassement. Finn wondered if he was ever going to be able to look at shrimps again and not expect someone's water to break right next to him.  
"Okay, good, call me if anything happens. Luke says little more than an hour. Tell Rory I love her and I'll be there soon," Lorelai told him and after assuring her he would, Finn ended the call and set the phone to the side.

"Your mother loves you and she'll be here soon. And your grandma is on a plane now." Finn said while he brushed some strands of hair out of Rory's face.  
"Finn?" Rory wanted to know once the contraction was over and she sunk back into the pillows, "You're not going away, are you?"  
"I'm gonna be right here, love. Not leaving your side until your mother arrives, I promise you," he told her and raised their clutched hands to kiss the back of it, "And once your mother is here, I'll wait outside with Luke. I'm not going anymore, Rory."

"I can't do this alone."

"You're not alone, love."

"I don't mean right now," Rory cried quietly and Finn abandoned his chair to move up onto the edge of the bed, he leaned down until he could kiss the top of her head like he had done so many many times before already. He stroked over her belly with the hand she hadn't taken control of. "I don't mean this. I mean the next days, weeks, months, years...I can't do that alone."

"And what makes you think you'll be alone?" He was quick to ask her, not even giving her a chance to speak before he already pushed on, "You have your mother and Luke at your place for the next few weeks, and the whole of Stars Hollow right along with them. Your grandma is only one call away to give advice, Lane is just around the corner. Jess will throw himself behind the wheel with just one call and the same goes for Robert, Colin and Steph. And do you seriously still doubt that I would not be there? That might actually hurt me, darling." Rory gave a sound somewhere between a sob and a laugh and Finn smiled down at her. "I'm here, love, all the way. We didn't pick out furniture for a nursery in my four walls for no reason, wasn't a joke, beautiful. You're not gonna be alone in this, not at any point."

"And you're not gonna be mad if I break something, right?"

"Course not, love," he tried to be convincing even if he swallowed when she wasn't looking, "Any specific reason you're aski....ahhhhhhh."

\--

"What happened to you?"

Looking up upon the yelled words, Finn breathed a sigh of relief at seeing Lorelai hurrying into the room, Luke stopping in the doorway. Rory kept on screaming through the contractions, now clutching Finn's not splinted hand.

"Just a little battle reminder," he called back to her and took a deep breath, the midwife ignored the hussle and kept on checking over Rory's stomach. "Rory, look, your Mom is here."  
"Mom?" Rory gasped out when the pain let off and Finn transferred her hand into Lorelai's, turning his back on them for a second as he freed the chair for Rory's mother as well, finally grimacing over the pain in both his hands now.

"I'm here now, my sweetheart, everything is going to be okay," Lorelai hushed her daughter and Finn's heart was breaking when he saw her like this, drugged up and still in pain. The midwife checked between Rory's by now covered legs and then announced that they were soon able to really start. Finn took that as his clue to leave, he walked up to the head of the bed and gave one more kiss to Rory's sweaty head.

"I'm gonna wait outside, alright? Not leaving until that baby is here and I got a look. You're in good hands now, love," he promised her and Rory closed her eyes and smiled when he stroked over her face before straightening up again.

"Thank you, Finn."

"Everything for you, love, always." He reminded her of a promise made to her months ago now and then he walked out of the room, Luke closed the door behind them. In the corridor Finn leaned back against the wall and whined low and long, cradling the splinted wrist in his only aching hand.  
"You got that properly looked at already? Or did they throw that on so you could remain with her?" Luke wanted to know from the side and Finn rolled his head over to him.

"Latter."

"Then, come on, nothing else we can do right now but wait, might as well have someone take care of your hand." Luke proposed and Finn let himself be pushed towards the info desk on their floor to be guided in the right direction, "And on the way we can see where we can get some coffee around here."

\--

When they got back again to settle in the waiting area, they could just still see Emily Gilmore slipping into Rory's room before the door closed already, and by the chairs Robert was pushing a hand through his hair.

Blue widened in surprise when they caught sight of Finn's right wrist in a cast, "Man, don't tell me Rory did that." Finn raised a threatening finger on his uninjured hand and Robert raised both hands in a defense move, "Got it. I'm only still here anyway because I wanted to ask if you want anything brought over from home aside from the car seat."

"A shirt, sweatshirt, just something comfortable." Finn sighed and Robert squeezed his shoulder before he rushed down the corridor towards the elevator, "And tell Colin to leave my kitchen as it is!" Finn called after him still and then sat down on a chair with a grunt, taking a deep sip of the hospital coffee in his hand.

Waiting was not his fortitude, certainly especially not when he knew a good friend was in pain close by and he was powerless to do anything against it. Thankfully Colin knew him well enough to keep him updated with pictures and Steph asked him for his opinions on things every now and then, sending him pictures of Colin and Robert bickering over furniture placement even if Rory had made incredibly detailed plans. Finn had spent an entire afternoon on his knees setting up markers for the walls to be painted correctly later.

He texted updates, even if it only was a 'still waiting' to Jess and Lane, went through some stuff for work and then was throughroughly bored even before the second hour of waiting had hit its mark. Thankfully or unfortunately, Luke was in the exact same boat, Finn knew that the man was more of a father to Rory than her biological one ever had managed to become and Finn and him had bonded over the last months, despite their more different natures.

When Robert finally managed to come around again, or remind himself that he had promised Finn clothes, it was almost a relief to be felt in both his own composure and Luke's tense shoulders.  
"Tell me my apartment is still standing," Finn wanted to know when Robert set the baby carrier down on the seat next to him and then handed Finn a shirt and a sweater – Finn still couldn't believe that his foresight to convince Rory to keep her hospital bags in his car already had been such a good idea. He struggled himself out of his shirt, gave a scowl when Robert took pity with a headshake and helped him.

"It's fine. Colin is too busy trying to prove to himself that he can built up a crib to think about rearranging your kitchen again," Robert assured him, strangely downcast but Finn knew that contrary to Colin and him Robert had once seen Rory as more than just a little sister. They'd never discussed it, it had felt too unpredictable a topic with Logan in the picture still, and Finn didn't know if things had entirely shifted over into friendship only for Robert.  
"Does that happen often?" Luke wanted to know, he had piled himself up a whole stack of magazines to keep his hands busy. Finn snorted in a first response and slipped into the sweater without any help, zipping it up before answering, folding the shirt up to land in the laundry at some point.

"Contrary to Colin, I can cook, and I like my stuff where I need it or can easily reach it," Finn began and Luke's eyes showed a shift of emotions that told him this might be a topic not entirely too unfamiliar for him, "Might be unusual places but it still gives Colin no right to rearrange everything just because it doesn't look like his pretty google pictures." Robert laughed and Luke smiled, "It was hard enough to get him to shut up about my black countertops."

\--

After entirely losing track of time, Finn snapped awake from the daydreams he had fallen into when the door of Rory's room opened and Lorelai stepped out, proud happy smile lighting up her entire face.

Luke and him were on their feet immediately, taking long quick steps to meet Lorelai somewhere in the middle of the long corridor. Luke hugged his exhausted wife and Finn let them have their moment even while he was bursting with wanting to know, in an act completely unusual for her, Rory hadn't wanted to know the sex of the baby, wanting a surprise there.

"It's a boy," Lorelai was bursting with happiness, "God, Luke, what am I gonna do with a boy." He laughed and tugged her in for another hug, Finn though grinned. A boy. A little Gilmore boy. He could teach that kid all the great things about sports that Rory kept on ignoring, he wouldn't have to worry about seeing Rory's daughter tumble into the arms of boys like Logan Huntzberger.

A boy.

"Come," Lorelai said when she was content with their grins, "She wants to see both of you. And before you ask, they are both perfectly fine." She explained and then pushed them both towards Rory's room as if Finn would need any further encouragement yet. Emily was at the windows, talking quietly to someone on the phone but once Finn's eyes fell onto Rory in the bed, that was entirely forgotten.

Rory and a small bundle in a yellow blanket.

Finn still stood back though for a moment still when Lorelai pulled Luke closer to Rory and her little boy, watched the introductions and then how Luke carefully hugged the new mother.   
"What did you decide to name him?" Luke wanted to know just when Rory met Finn's eyes and grinned, so happy, no more fear, just pure happiness. She begged him closer with a tip of her chin and he rounded the bed to stand on her other side, Emily came back over again as well.

"Richard," Rory said with only a slight hitch in her voice and Finn smiled when he saw the three Gilmore women exchange a fond look, "but we're gonna call him Richie."  
"A beautiful strong name." Luke commented and Finn completely agreed, and a great man to be named after, even with the little as he had known Richard Gilmore, the First now. Logan and Colin had known the man better, family connections since before they had been born, Finn had only stumbled along to those meet-ups when he was a teenager.

"We should make a picture, the boys and Jess will want to know and I think Paris, Lane and Steph will actually kill me if I don't text them right away." Finn mentioned and Rory laughed over his playful shudder, but she also nodded so he pulled out his phone. Rory though then showed just why Logan had once given her that nickname and pulled just one of those aces from her sleeves.

"Give it to my Mum," she began and Finn looked at her in complete surprise, raising an eyebrow in a silent demand to hear more, "if you want to make a picture for the boys and Steph than you have to be on it, too, godfather." At first, he wasn't sure if he had heard right, stupidly blinking at her with his fingers still poised over his phone display but then he got aware of Rory's little smile and he knew she had definitely said something at the end of that sentence.

And it hadn't been the joking 'Uncle Finn' of the last five months.

"Did you just..." He stuttered out quite unusually speechless, looking around as if that could somehow give him an answer but Lorelai, Luke and Emily were just smiling as well.  
"Yeah, I did."Rory confirmed and Finn wanted a chair before his knees got too weak to stand on, "You got a problem with it?" He shook his head right away, heart pounding in his chest, hands suddenly sweaty, mind flipping around and around with this incredible unbelievable honor.

"No, absolutely not. Are you sure?"

"Absolutely, Finn." Rory made obvious and then patted the bed next to her, "Come, picture time, Uncle Finn." She grimaced when he handed his phone to Lorelai and revealed the now properly arranged splint on his hand, "I am so sorry." He waved it away, none of that mattered anymore in the slightest.

He swallowed heavily, emotions all over the place, and then sat down on the edge of the bed next to her, leaned to kiss the top of her head and maybe give himself a moment to keep himself from tearing up just now. Rory stroked a hand down the side of his face when he pulled back again and then settled this little baby boy into his arms. Lorelai tugged the blanket into place a little better but then stepped back, Finn could feel his heart in his throat and he was distantly aware of Rory leaning against his side but everything inside of him was zeroed in on this beautiful baby boy.

His godson.

A light fuzz of blond hair, a cute button nose, eyes still closed but somehow Finn would bet anything on them not just being baby blue but also staying blue in the next months. He so hoped for Rory's eyes. He reached out with one finger, tracing those impossible tiny hands and those round cheeks, maybe Lorelai took pictures on his phone, Finn really didn't know, he couldn't see anything beyond Richie.

'I'll protect you, and I'll be the greatest uncle you'll have ever seen. That I swear to you.'


End file.
